


Something Of Some Importance

by bloodredcherries



Series: Season 10 [2]
Category: Everybody Loves Raymond
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2017-12-28 09:04:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/990219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ray," I said, a bit harsher than I'd intended. "Your father isn't dead! He simply fainted at the lodge, and they must have taken him to the hospital as a precaution." Still, I had to admit that I was worried about Frank. He had been looking awfully pale and unwell lately. But I knew that that really wasn't what Ray needed to hear. He needed me to be the optimistic one. He was the pessimist. "And your mother is fine, Ray," I added. "She was over the house all morning vacuuming."</p><p>Post Series Finale.</p><p>The news that Debra and Ray were expecting their fourth child should have been a happy occasion, but it was overshadowed by Amy and Robert's fertility troubles and Frank's frightening decline into poor health. Add in Marie and her refusal to believe that Frank is getting worse, not better, and it's a recipe for certain disaster.</p><p>Things were supposed to get easier for them, not worse. How did the opposite happen?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Optimistic One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ray," Debra said, more harshly than intended. "Your father isn't dead! He simply fainted at the lodge, and they must have taken him to the hospital as a precaution." Still, she had to admit that she was worried about Frank. He had been looking awfully pale and unwell lately. But she knew that that really wasn't what Ray needed to hear. He needed her to be the optimistic one. He was the pessimist. "And your mother is fine, Ray," she added. "She was over the house all morning vacuuming."
> 
>  
> 
> "Sorry about that," he muttered, and she shrugged. "I'll have a talk with her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 5/14/16 -- first to third person

"It shouldn't be like this," Debra heard Ray say as they drove to the Queens Medical Center, the first words that had come out of him since he'd gotten the call from Stan and Garvin, since they’d left the house and driven, first to the lodge and then towards Queens. "It shouldn't be like this," he repeated, and she turned to look at him, managing a slight nod. Ray was right. It shouldn't have been like this. To be honest, though, It wasn't like what had supposedly happened was particularly surprising. Debra knew better than to say that.

 

"I know, Ray," she said in an attempt to soothe him. "I know." 

 

Ray stared at Debra with large, wounded, eyes. "You don't know," he whined. "Your parents are happy and healthy and playing Scrabble with that board I bought them for Christmas in Connecticut."

 

Debra sighed. "Ray," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I really don't think that the situations are comparable."

 

"Yeah, 'cause your mom and dad are alive."

 

She sighed again, even louder than before, beginning to miss the silence that had been the first part of their drive.

 

"Ray," Debra said, more harshly than intended. "Your father isn't dead! He simply fainted at the lodge, and they must have taken him to the hospital as a precaution." Still, she had to admit that she was worried about Frank. He had been looking awfully pale and unwell lately. But she knew that that really wasn't what Ray needed to hear. He needed her to be the optimistic one. He was the pessimist. "And your mother is fine, Ray," she added. "She was over the house all morning vacuuming."

 

"Sorry about that," he muttered, and she shrugged. "I'll have a talk with her."

 

"Don't bother," she said. "Not now, at least."

 

Debra wasn't going to be a bitch to Marie, certainly not with Frank in the hospital, even if she was being openly optimistic about his good health to Raymond. It wasn't like she particularly wanted to be vacuuming -- or doing the dishes, or polishing all of the silverware -- especially in her current condition, so if she wanted to do it, who was she to stop her?

 

Not that any of her thoughts -- suddenly altruistic though they were, they were also silent -- stopped Ray from turning his eyes away from the road and giving her a worried look.

 

"You okay?" He asked, reaching over to clumsily feel her swelling abdomen, and she nodded.

 

"I'm fine, Ray," she confirmed. "I just think that if your mother wants to help out around the house well then she can."

 

"You're sure you're fine?"

 

"Yes," she answered, though she couldn't help smiling stupidly at him when he asked, or when he moved his hand around to try to feel their baby. "I promise, Ray. Don't worry about me."

 

"I always worry about you, baby drama mama."

 

Debra rolled her eyes at the stupid pet name he'd chosen for her today, but that didn't mean she was angry at him. Truthfully, she had been finding it hard to get angry at Ray for months now, even before the pregnancy and even before his surgery. Going back to Queens Medical Center -- where Ray had almost died -- would of course be difficult for her, but she knew she had to handle it.

 

"Ray..." she started, before she trailed off.

 

"Yeah?"

 

She shook her head. "Never mind," she answered. "I was just thinking."

 

"About what?"

 

She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and ran her fingers through his hair. "Nothing," she murmured. "Don't worry about it."

 

"Are you sure everything's okay with you and baby bottle pop?" Ray's eyes were wide, and she could tell he was seriously worried. "I don't want anything to go wrong."

 

She smiled, though slightly. "Everything's fine Ray," she promised. "I know you don't."

 

"But you're being quiet," he moaned. "Something must be the matter."

 

Debra sighed again.

 

"I was just remembering the last time we were going here," she admitted. "For your adenoid surgery?"

 

He stiffened -- this way why she hadn't wanted to tell him -- and then he nodded. "I remember," he said darkly.

 

"That's all," she said, trying to assure him. "I promise, honey. Things are fine with me and baby bottle pop." Debra’d figured she’d indulge Ray in his nicknames, at least to an extent. "She's awake," she realized. "I think she knows you're worried about her."

 

She moved his hand to where their baby was kicking. "See," she soothed. "I told you. Everything's fine, everything's gonna be fine."

 

He nodded. "Maybe you're right," he allowed. "I hope so."

 

"Ray," she murmured, about to say something of some importance, but instead letting out a giggle in response to the baby's nudges. "She likes you," she insisted. "She's playing with you."

 

"You're sure she likes me?" Raymond asked her. "You're really really sure, Deb?"

 

Sometimes she thought that a bit of therapy would do her husband some good, not that she ever said so out loud.

 

"Yeah," Debra said. "You're her daddy, of course she does." She covered his hand with hers, stroking his knuckles. "I like you too, you know."

 

"I know you like me," he replied, the tone in his voice changing. "I like you too. I like you a lot." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as they stopped at a red light. "Can you make lemon chicken tonight?"

 

Debra wanted to say no. She was sure that she was going to be exhausted from the trip to the hospital, and all the drama that was sure to ensue from that, but decided to at least consider his request. It wasn't as if he was really asking a lot, and it was his favorite. So, rather hesitantly, she nodded.

 

"I'll try," she said. "We'll see how baby bottle pop makes me feel tonight, okay, honey?"

 

"You said you felt fine," he pointed out, whining as he did. "You promised."

 

"I know," she admitted. "Right now I do."

 

"But," he prodded, stroking her belly and slowing the car as he did.

 

"You know, I am four months pregnant," she reminded him, smiling at him as she did, "and we are going to visit your father in the hospital at the time I usually nap." Debra couldn’t help letting out a yawn. Ray slipped his arm around her shoulders, and she shifted towards him as much as she could, smiling to herself as he pressed a kiss to her temple. 

 

"You can nap now," he told her. "I'll just be stewing in my moroseness, anyways."

 

"There was something I wanted to tell you," she murmured, shutting her eyes. "I can't remember."

 

Not that the fact that she couldn't remember what it was mattered, as she’d fallen asleep.


	2. Slightly Inconsiderate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was true, Ray realized. He really couldn't. It wasn't like he didn't like the idea of waiting in the car while Debra did their family obligations -- because that was frankly what dealing with his family had become, at least since Amy and Deb had gotten pregnant at the same time and then Amy wasn't pregnant anymore and Deb still was -- but even he knew it was pathetic of him. The fact that he had even entertained the thought at all was proof that he was pathetic. He was a nancy boy, just like his dad always said.
> 
> Ray felt a tear slip down his face, and didn't resist as Debra stood on her tiptoes to wipe it away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited to third person 5/14/16

"Shoot," Debra heard, as the car came to a sudden stop and she and the baby were jolted awake.  "Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot."

 

All she really wanted to do was drift back off to sleep -- she really was tired -- but she forced myself to open one of her eyes, hoping to see what the problem was. Naturally, of course, from where she was, the only problem she could see was that she had been abruptly woken from her well deserved nap. Still, Lord knew that ignoring Ray -- especially when he was starting to panic -- was never conducive to remaining asleep.

 

"Ray?" she whispered, voice still thick with sleep. "What's the matter?"

 

"Nothin'," he replied, and he shot her a guilty look. "It's nothing, Deb. I didn't mean to wake you up."

 

"Ray," she whined. "Tell me."

 

He shook his head. "No," he repeated. "Nothing's the matter. There's nothing to tell."

 

She sighed. She sighed pointedly and heavily as she sat up, stretching as well as she could given the confines of the car. She knew that there was something wrong, especially since Ray wouldn't look her in the eyes, and, in fact, seemed rather quite interested in his lap. Subtlety was nowhere near being one of his strong suits.

 

"You okay," he asked, and he reached out to stroke her side. "You and our girl okay?" His tone was desperate, and it broke her heart to hear him sound so broken.

 

"Of course," she promised. "Ray, we're fine. You woke her up, actually," she informed him. "When you parked the car and started talking to yourself. I think she knew who you were." Debra shifted in her seat and unbuckled her seatbelt, finally realizing that they were at the hospital. "She kicks a lot when you talk," she blathered, "like all the time, Ray. Even when you're in the other room yelling at the guys on the TV."

 

"Is that why you watched the Rangers game with me last night?"

 

Debra nodded, a light blush covering her face. "I wanted to cuddle with you," she explained. "I was washing dishes and you started to yell in the living room and she got really active. She wanted to be with her daddy." She moved closer to him, flipping up the armrest so she could sit in the middle seat, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, somehow managing to pull her even closer. "She loves you, honey."

 

"I love her too," he replied. "I liked it," he told her, as he nuzzled her neck. "You watchin' the game with me, piggin' out on my chips." His hand rested on her belly, and he gently stroked it as he talked. "Will you do it again?"

 

"We weren't bugging you?"

 

He shook his head. "Nah," he shrugged. "You're my girls. I liked watching the game with you." He shot her a pathetic, puppy dog look. "Please, Deb? Please? I'll rub your feet and get you whatever you wanna eat and everything."

 

Was it bad that Debra thought Ray was cute when he begged? She decided the answer to that was no, as she found myself agreeing to watch sports with him.

 

"Are you sure you're okay, honey?" she asked, kissing him on the lips. "It's okay to not be okay.”

 

He shook his head. "I can't --"

 

"You can't what?"

 

"Go in there again," he said roughly. "Go into the place that almost killed me? The place that would have left you a single mom to four kids? I can't do it, Deb."

 

She bit her lip. "I love you," she finally settled on. "You don't have to go in. I can go in without you, and you can sit in the car."

 

He let out a resigned moan. "You can't do that," he whined. "I won't let you. They're my family. It's my dad."

 

"Besides," he continued. "What if the MacDougalls are here? They're mad at you 'cause of baby bottle pop. I love you and baby bottle pop. I don't want them to upset you. Amy made you cry the other day."

 

Debra had really hoped Ray hadn't noticed that, though she probably should have realized he had done by the fact that he'd made her breakfast in bed after she’d woken up. "She didn't make me cry," she lied, as she laid her head on his chest.

 

"Yes she did," he insisted. "Look, I know she did. Don't lie to me."

 

"Okay," she said after a moment. "So what if she did, though? She has a right to be upset. They've been trying for months, Ray."

 

He sighed. "She doesn't have to take it out on you."

 

***

 

Debra kept close to Ray as we walked through the entrance to the hospital, having wrapped her arms as tightly around his waist as she could. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head -- her hair smelled really good, like peaches "Lil' peach," he murmured, and she looked up at him, a slight smirk on her lips.

 

"I'm not a convenience store, Ray," she chided, though she didn't seem too mad, and she smiled when Ray wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "I could go for some sour worms, though. If you have money for the machines."

 

"You're letting me get food from the vending machines?" Ray couldn't hide his shock. Deb hated me when him was on a sugar high.

 

"Yeah," she said. "I really want the sour worms, Ray. I really want them."

 

He reached out and tickled her bump, getting a giggle from her in response. "I got you, babe," he told her.

 

"I know," she told him, squeezing his hand. "I know you do. I know." Ray sighed. "What's the matter?" Debra demanded of him, staring up at him with wide eyes.

 

"Nothin', Deb," he assured her. "I just..."

 

"Ray, I said I would go in without you," she reminded him. "And I really will. I don't blame you at all if you want to wait in the car."

 

"I can't let you do that," he insisted.

 

It was true, Ray realized. He really couldn't. It wasn't like he didn't like the idea of waiting in the car while Debra did their family obligations -- because that was frankly what dealing with his family had become, at least since Amy and Deb had gotten pregnant at the same time and then Amy wasn't pregnant anymore and Deb still was -- but even he knew it was pathetic of him. The fact that he had even entertained the thought at all was proof that he was pathetic. He was a nancy boy, just like his dad always said. Ray felt a tear slip down his face, and didn't resist as Debra stood on her tiptoes to wipe it away.

 

"Ray," she whispered, and she pushed opened the closest door and led him into what he realized rather quickly was the ladies room. "Are you okay?"

 

Ray shook his head.

 

She bit her lip. "What's the matter?"

 

"What's going to happen?" he blurted out, louder than he'd intended.

 

"Well, we'll go find out how your dad is, of course," she said hesitantly, and she started to rub his shoulders. "We don't have to stay very long. I promise."

 

"I can't--"

 

"You don't have to go in to see him, if you think it would be too hard," she whispered in his ear, as she drew him into a hug. "He'd understand. I know he would."

 

"He'd call me a nancy," he mumbled, and nuzzled her neck.

 

"You're not a nancy," she said softly. "You're not, Ray. I promise. You're scared. It's okay to be scared. I promise."

 

"It is?" Ray’s voice squeaked a bit as he asked, and she nodded.

 

"Of course. You had a very scary experience here not so long ago," she murmured. "Don't worry about it."

 

***

 

"Well well well, look who finally decided to show up," Debra’s brother-in-law, Robert, said, in a decidedly annoying tone. She could hardly imagine why Ray was following about ten paces behind her, if they were going to be treated like that. "Raymond and Debra."

 

"Don't talk to her like that," Ray blurted.

 

"I wasn't talking to her," he insisted. "I was talking about her."

 

"Don't talk about her like that, then," Ray said forcefully, as he stepped in front of her. "What's your problem, man?"

 

"My problem? My problem? What's my problem?" Robert stood, clenching his fists. "You know what my problem is."

 

Well, this was just great. They’d been in the waiting room of the ER approximately less than a minute and Ray and Robert were already about to get into it. Apparently a simple truce was too much to ask for. "Robert," Debra said, as she tried desperately to regain peace. "I know you're upset --"

 

"You have no idea what we're going through," he told her. "None. At all."

 

Ray naturally looked confused, and she groaned inwardly as he opened his mouth. "No," he said. "I don't know what your problem is. Why don't you man up and tell me?"

 

"Ray," she hissed, tugging on his jacket sleeve. "Ray, let's just all sit together and be quiet."

 

"No," he said. "I wanna know why he has a problem with us!"

 

"Ray," Debra warned, before choosing to admit defeat. "Fine, whatever. I'm going to sit down." She sat in the nearest chair and began to page through a back issue of Us Weekly, watching the two brothers warily. She was really too tired for this. Debra was really tired of all of it, to be completely honest. All the fighting, all the obnoxious comments. She was sick of damn near everything about Ray's exceedingly messed up family at the moment. She really didn't think it was too taxing a task for them to all get along while the family's patriarch was in the hospital, but evidently that was wrong.

 

"We've been waiting here for over two hours," Amy informed her. "I mean, really, Deb, you don't think it's a little inconsiderate of you and Ray to keep us waiting? Frank is his father too."

 

"You and Robert work in the city," she hissed, turning the pages in the magazine with a newfound level of fury.

 

"So does Raymond," she pointed out.

 

"Ray works in Melville," she corrected, forcing herself to not scream at her. "Not that it matters anyways because he had to go home to get me. I wasn't going to make him come here alone. Not to mention that I had to make sure the kids would have somewhere to go after school, as you well know."

 

Debra knew that Amy was jealous of her -- which, rationally, she understood, but irrationally she really didn't care -- but that still didn't mean she appreciated her berating her and her husband for not being there in her preconceived notions of "soon enough".

 

"And, furthermore," she continued, "you think Ray and I are inconsiderate for "being late", but yet you just let Robert run his mouth off at Ray for something that isn't his or my fault. I'm sorry that being around me right now makes the two of you uncomfortable, but right now you'll just have to deal. This isn't about your feelings or our feelings right now. It's about Frank."

 

"Maybe you ought to be grateful you didn't have to see us for two hours, hmm?"

 

"Deb, I --"

 

"Just don't, okay? I don't want to hear it right now."


	3. Tea Party For Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you really think that little of me?” she asked, her voice deceptively calm, because she knew that she was probably literally two seconds away from bursting into tears and that knowing Ray that would end in someone getting punched. “I prayed for you. I sat in the waiting room while you were in the ER for five hours, and you didn’t want to see me, but I still came. I never wanted you to lose the baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited to third person 5/14/16

Amy -- occasionally stupid, majorly naive, Amy -- felt the need to ignore the fact that Debra -- the _pregnant_ one that wasn’t _supposed_ to be stressed out, had managed to find it in herself to politely ask her to just stop talking, and in fact did the exact opposite.

 

“I think you’re glad I lost the baby,” she told her, and Debra managed to dredge up the last of her maturity and simply stare at her, rather than rant and rave like she wanted to. “I think you’re glad because that means that _you’re_ the one that gets to give Marie what she wants and that means _she’ll_ like you more.”

 

“As usual, she’ll like you and Raymond more,” she continued, her voice embarrassingly earnest. “She’ll like you more than she’ll _ever_ like us and that’s how the two of you want it, isn’t it?”

 

“Do you really think that little of me?” she asked, her voice deceptively calm, because she knew that she was probably literally two seconds away from bursting into tears and that knowing Ray that would end in someone getting punched. “I _prayed_ for you. I sat in the waiting room while you were in the ER for _five_ hours, and you didn’t want to see me, but I still _came_. I _never_ wanted you to lose the baby.”

 

She reached out to touch her abdomen and Debra pushed her hand away. “No,” she said forcefully. “You don’t get to do that right now. Maybe when you haven’t just spent ten minutes _berating_ me and making me feel like _shit!_ ”

 

“I just want to --”

 

“What?” she snapped. “Make me cry again?”

 

“Shut up, Amy,” Ray said. “She said you don’t get to feel the baby right now, why can’t you respect that? Why couldn’t you have been quiet ten minutes ago, before you made Deb feel like crap for something that wasn’t even her fault?”

 

“I--”

 

“You what?” Ray demanded. “What can you _possibly_ say that can change the fact that _everyone_ in the waiting room heard _you_ fighting with _my_ obviously _pregnant_ wife? Maybe you and Robert should just back off, okay?”

 

It was a miracle, an honest to God miracle. Ray had gotten Amy to _shut up_. He really needed to tell _Newsday_ that, it really did need to get documented. 

 

“Honey,” Debra said softly, rubbing his arm from her seat. “Honey, it’s --”

  
“It’s not okay, Deb,” he told her. “Come on,” he added. 

 

“Where are we going?” she asked. Even though Amy was annoying, she really didn’t want to get up. Her feet hurt.

 

“Gonna sit over there,” he told her. “With Ma.”

 

“Your _mother_ is out here?” Debra nearly choked. “Ray, I didn’t know,” she hissed in a whisper, managing to hoist herself out of the chair. “Honey, I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have said anything to Amy if I had.”

 

“I know,” he said honestly. “It’s okay, Deb. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Oh, so you care about Marie’s feelings and not mine?” 

 

“Look, Amy, Marie’s _husband_ is in the hospital. Forgive me for being concerned.”

 

“You’ve never cared before,” she said. “Why -- “  
  
  
Ray stood in between the two of them. “I said to drop it, okay? You and Robert can have your little pity tea for two party over here, but don’t bring my wife into it.” He looped his arms around her. “Come on, Deb. We don’t need them.”

 

“Thanks, Ray,” she whispered softly, as she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out. “I love you.”  


He grinned at her, though she could see the sadness in his eyes. “I know you do. I know.”

 


	4. Enter Marie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ma...," he trailed off. "Ma, can you explain to me exactly what happened today?"
> 
> "Is Debra mad that I vacuumed?," Marie demanded, glaring at her. She shook her head. "Why are you asking me, then?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updated 5/14/16 to third person

"Marie?," Marie Barone heard, as she paced back and forth in the corner of the waiting room, practically wearing a hole in the hospital's floor. "Marie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at Amy and Robert, I wouldn't have if I knew you were he--" 

 

Perhaps it was impulsive to hug Debra, but she pulled her into an embrace nonetheless, not caring about whatever she was apologizing for. Or even hearing her apology, to be completely honest. 

 

Debra let out a loud squeak as Marie pulled her close, at both the strength of the hug and her surprise at the action.

 

"Ma," the person beside her said, sounding rather insistent. "Ma, don't hold her so tightly." 

 

She said nothing, only sobbing louder. "Ray, it's fine," Debra insisted, her voice muffled from being thrust against her bosom. "She's hurting."

 

"Yeah, exactly, she's hurting you," he insisted. "Let go, Ma, she's pregnant, the baby...just hug me instead, okay? Don't crush my pregnant wife."

 

Marie sniffled loudly, returning to her senses for the most part. Raymond was here and he would make everything make sense again. He would make everything better. She loosened her hold on Debra, releasing her so she could throw her arms around her baby boy. 

 

"Where's your father?," she commanded, peering up at him expectantly. "I want him out here, right now."

 

Ray let out a moan, shaking his head as he did. "I can't make Dad come here, Ma," he told her, though he looked rather ill as he did. "They said on the phone that Dad's really sick, that he's not awake yet."

 

"Oh, of course, Raymond," Marie agreed, smiling at him through her tears. "But you're here now."

 

"Yes," he agreed. "What does that mean?"

 

"Well, you can wake him up," she informed him. "You and Debra and I can go see him, and you can get him up, I'm sure you can."

 

Ray and Debra just stared at her, with identical looks of confusion. Honestly, she thought to herself, it was like they thought she was delusional. 

 

"Ma...," he trailed off. "Ma, can you explain to me exactly what happened today?" 

 

"Is Debra mad that I vacuumed?," Marie demanded, glaring at her. She shook her head. "Why are you asking me, then?"

 

"It's just that Ray and I want to know what happened to Frank," she said after a moment, as she placed a hand on Ray's shoulder. "You know, I know Ray spoke to the doctor on the phone, but he was a little vague...we thought maybe you could explain. And you can vacuum if you want to, I'm not mad about that."

 

"Fine," she conceded, bristling slightly, only the thought of being allowed to clean the house appeasing her. "I'll tell you what I know."

 

***

 

“Wake up,” Ray demanded as he stood over his father’s hospital bed. “Wake up and you can go back home to Ma and the lodge and your Civil War reenactments. Please, just wake up.”  
  
Raymond didn’t really like to beg his father for anything -- Frank Barone was the type of man that would have only taken advantage of that occurring -- but for this he was willing to. If only so his mother would stop crying. That hurt most of all.  

 

“Maybe Ray and I should take you home,” Debra was suggesting to her, rather patiently, for the fifteenth time. “You need to rest for a bit, you don’t want to end up here too.”

 

The look his mother shot her would have normally killed. Unfortunately for Marie's fearsome reputation, the glare’s effect was tarnished when she began to cry again. He wasn’t very good with tears. Especially from the ladies. 

 

"I am not going to "end up here"," Ma replied. "I just..."

 

"I know, Ma," he lied hastily, not wanting another fight to blow up. "I think Deb's just worried, that's all."

 

"Dammit, Frank," Debra said, joining Ray by his position at the front of the bed. "Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well? Why didn't you say something?"

 

The only response from his father was the hum of the machines. He choked back a lump in his throat. Debra looked up at him, her eyes filled with worry. 

 

"Do you want to go?" She asked him in a whisper, as she clutched his hand as tightly as she could. He nodded slightly. "Come on," she insisted, leading him out the door. "Bye, Frank. Bye, Marie."

 

"We can't leave," Ray insisted frantically, a bit horrified at the thought. "What about Dad, what if he wakes up and we're not here? What if Robert and Amy tell him things?"

 

"If your father wakes up, we'll come back," she said softly. "I promise we'll come back. I just don't think that it's good for you to be here for a long time, that's all."

 

Ray found himself nodding, rather minutely. "Okay," he mumbled, rather interested in the tiled floors. "Even if it's the middle of the night?"

 

"Yes, of course," she replied. "Even then." She gave his hand a tight squeeze. "Come on," she urged. "I'll make you lemon chicken?"

 

"Okay," he agreed, squeezing her hand in response. "You don't haveta."

 

"I know," she assured him. "I want to, Ray. It's the least I can do."

 

"But what if our glowworm makes you tired?" Ray asked, staring down at her, at his beautiful, gorgeous, pregnant wife. "I don't --"

 

"It's fine," she said again, rubbing his back as she did. "I want to make it for you. She's not making me that tired, Ray. I would still have to cook."

 

"I know," he replied, and he nuzzled the nape of her neck. "You're just...all I have," he said honestly. "That could have been me in there," he added. "That was me, wasn't it? I was hooked up to all those machines and I was scary and --"

 

Debra stood on her tiptoes and gave him a hot, wet, kiss on the lips. "Shut up, Ray," she breathed as she pulled away from him, before kissing him again. "Seriously, Ray, shut up." Her lips met his once more, and Ray kissed her back, wanting to forget about everything that had happened, everything that was going to happen, and everything except his beautiful wife who was making out with him. In public. And who didn't seem to mind doing it at all. Ray pulled her close to him, as close as she could get with her baby bump in the way.

 

"I love you," he said earnestly, enjoying the feel of her -- them -- in his arms. "And you," he cooed at her belly, hoping the baby would kick. "You're Daddy's little girl, aren't you? Aren't you?" 

 

Debra gave one of her cute giggles in response, and he let her take hiss hand and place it on her abdomen, where the baby kicked. "She sure is," she confirmed. "She loves you. So do I, Ray. That's why I hate when you dwell on your surgery. It makes me sad."

 

Ray didn't want her to be sad, so he let out a sigh. "I'm an idiot, I know," he mumbled, as he found the ground very interesting.

 

"Oh, you're not," she whispered. "You're a good guy, Ray. You just have a habit of stewing, that's all. Let's just go home, okay?"

 

"Okay," came his response. "Alright."

 

On autopilot, Ray found himself driving out of the hospital's garage and back on to the highway, not really caring that a lecture from his mother about abandoning her during her time of need was likely forthcoming. He just couldn't, man. It was too hard.

 

"You okay?" Deb asked him softly, and he looked at her for a moment, before turning his eyes back to the road. "I thought you were great."

 

"Mom's gonna hate me," he moaned.

 

"She's not going to hate you," she replied, squeezing his hand. "It's your mother, she could never hate you."

 

"You promise?" 

 

"Yes," she said. "Think of all the stupid, idiotic, things you've done, she still loves you."

 

"But Robert--"

 

"He'll get over it," she sighed. "Even if I have to make him."


	5. A Very Good Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He nodded. "Well, yeah, he's my dad. I didn't want him bothering you about it, you're pregnant, you need your rest, not to be driving my father all around creation. And he had finally agreed he was a menace on the roads, after all these years. I was sort of proud. When I asked if anything was the matter he said he was fine and not to worry because..." He trailed off, an expression that was a cross between recognition and horror appearing on his face. "Because if I worried too much Ma would ride his ass about getting those tests again because Raymond was worried! What the hell? What tests? What is going on???"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited to third person 5/14/16

"I'm sorry, what?," Debra demanded of the twins, staring at them with a look of disapproval on her face. "No, you may not go to the Lodge with your father," she said, shaking her head. "No, your father cannot go to the Lodge. Why on earth does he want to go there?"

 

"He wants to find out what hurt Grandpa," Geoffrey replied in a soft tone. "He thinks something happened at the Lodge."

 

"Oh," she mumbled, pursing her lips. "Oh, sweetie. Grandpa isn't hurt."

 

Michael stared at his mother, eyes wide. "But Daddy picked us up from school today," he reminded her. "He said that he was home from work early because Grandpa Frank went to the hospital. It was Grandpa, right?," he asked, eying her. "Not you or Daddy?"

 

"Grandpa's sick," Debra told him, giving him a hug. "He's not hurt, and going to the Lodge won't fix anything, no matter how much your daddy wants it to."

 

"Does he have a cold?," Geoffrey asked, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm glad you aren't sick, Mommy."

 

"I don't know what he has," she told him, kissing the top of his head. "He's sleeping, now. They're figuring it out at the hospital, okay, buddy? When he wakes up we'll go visit him." She let out a sigh. "Right now, I think we should go check on Daddy."

 

Both of the twins nodded. "He's really sad, Mommy," Michael reported, pouting as he did. "That's why we wanted to go."

 

"I know," Debra agreed, sighing once again. "You boys are very sweet," she promised. "Your daddy's very lucky you care about him so much."

 

"Is the baby up?," he continued. "Daddy said she was kicking a lot for him today, he said if we were gentle you would see if she'd play with us. We'll be gentle, we promise."

 

Debra nodded, tousling Michael's hair as she did. "She is," she confirmed. "I think she'd like to play, if you really want to. Where is your father, anyways?"

 

"He's on the couch," he said. "He's reading, it's weird." Debra tried not to smirk at the look on Michael's face.

 

"Okay, boys, lead the way," she told them. "I'll bring your father back to sanity and you can say hi to your little sister."

 

Geoffrey tugged at her shirt. "Daddy told me that he thinks Michael and I will be good big brothers," he told her, beaming with pride. "That she's lucky we love her so much."

 

"Of course I said that," Ray said from his position on the couch, motioning for them to join him. He did indeed have a book abandoned on the coffee table. "It's true."

 

Debra gently disentangled herself from the twins to join Raymond on the couch, allowing him to nestle his head on her lap, his favorite thing to do when they were relaxing together. She could not believe that he wanted to go to the Lodge, of all places. Honestly. What was he thinking? And bringing the boys?

 

"Ray, you aren't going there," she informed him. "You aren't going alone and you're not going with our sons."

 

"I know," he mumbled. "I know, Deb. I just..."

 

"I know. Did you tell the boys they could play with their sister?," Debra asked, trying to distract him from his father. "That was really sweet of you, if you did."

 

Ray nodded. "Yeah, if she's up and you're not feeling uncomfortable," he reported. "Is it okay that I did?"

 

"Yeah, but I want you to help them," she told him, patting the couch beside her so the boys would come up. Ray sat up and pulled Geoffrey on to his lap, while Michael crawled up on her other side. "You're good at it."

 

"No, I'm not," he protested weakly, before lifting up her shirt to expose her belly. "'s this okay?"

 

"Yeah," she told him. "It's fine, it doesn't bother me."

 

"Daddy, what do we do?," Michael asked, reaching out to touch his mother's abdomen. Geoffrey followed his twin's lead. "What do you do, Daddy?"

 

Ray cleared his throat. "She likes that," he told them. "And your mom says she likes when I talk to her, you can talk to her too, if you want."

 

Geoffrey nodded. "She's kicking a lot," he told them. "Does it hurt you, Mommy?"

 

***

 

"Sorry about this afternoon," Ray told Debra, later that day, as he ate his dinner. She just sighed. "I just want to fix things, maybe Dad ate some bad food or something at the Lodge?"

 

Debra fixed him with a pointed glare. "Don't talk about bad food while we're eating, Ray," she muttered, feeling slightly nauseated. She instinctively hugged her stomach. "And have you seen your father lately?"

 

"What do you mean?," he demanded. "Sorry, you don't look too good. I'm sorry."

 

"I mean that your father has looked worse and worse every day for at least a month," she told him. "Probably more than that, Ray. Since before we found out I was pregnant. But lately it has been pretty bad. He's not well."

 

"He fainted one time!," he exclaimed, cutting his chicken furiously. "One time, and suddenly he's in the hospital!"

 

"No, Ray, I think that the hospital was inevitable," she sighed. "If it hadn't been today it would have been some other time. At least it happened when he was at the Lodge," she told him. "You should be grateful, he could have been driving!"

 

Ray shook his head. "No, I've been driving him," he told her. "Why do you think he's been there so much? He's been having me bring him there before work and pick him up after work. I thought he and Ma were fighting so I just did it."

 

"Your father had asked you to do this?," Debra asked, pausing mid bite.

 

"No, not asked," he corrected. "Told. Demanded."

 

"And you just went along with it?," she continued.

 

He nodded. "Well, yeah, he's my dad. I didn't want him bothering you about it, you're pregnant, you need your rest, not to be driving my father all around creation. And he had finally agreed he was a menace on the roads, after all these years. I was sort of proud. When I asked if anything was the matter he said he was fine and not to worry because..." He trailed off, an expression that was a cross between recognition and horror appearing on his face. "Because if I worried too much Ma would ride his ass about getting those tests again because Raymond was worried! What the hell? What tests? What is going on???"

 

"Honey, shush, the kids," she told him, motioning for him to be quiet. "They're doing their homework. Can't you just let them be in peace for one more night?"

 

He nodded. "I just...I thought I was helping, snoogle," he mumbled. "I just wanted to help."

 

"You did help," she promised. "You...you did, I promise."

 

"Yeah, alright," he agreed. "Thanks for making my favorite," he added. "'s very good."

 

Despite the depressing conversation, Debra beamed. Ray always said that about her lemon chicken, but it always made her feel happy when she heard it. "Really?," she asked.

 

"Yes, I love your lemon chicken, you know that," he continued, unaware that her compliment seeking was really an attempt to divert the conversation while their children were a room away. "You know," he continued, staring at her with those big eyes. "I know you know, Mamakins. Come 'ere," he insisted, gesturing to his lap. Despite herself, she walked over and settled on top of him, mewling with pleasure as he ran his free hand down her back. "Love your lemon chicken and I love you," he murmured, whispering it into her ear.

 

"I love you too, Ray," she breathed, kissing him softly. "I think I might be up for a little something-something this evening," she added, the tone of her voice teasing.

 

"Yeah?," he asked. "What something-something?"

 

"You know, that something-something. The something-something that got us into this."

 

"Mmm," he agreed. "I remember...that was a good night. A very good night."

 

"Are you just saying that because you got me pregnant?," Debra queried. He took another bite of chicken, sipping his drink before he responded.

 

"No, you were super into me," he said smugly, a smirk on his face. "All the touching and the kissing and the multiple times," he added. "The fact that I'm the man was clearly a bonus."

 

"I'm super into you now," she breathed, his hand on her breasts not going unnoticed. "Keep doing that."

 

"What?," he asked.

 

"That. Don't stop."

 

***

 

Debra let out a snore beside Ray as they laid in bed together, and he kissed her on the forehead, trying vainly to fall back to sleep. It was way too early to be up, especially since it wasn't a school day for the kids, which meant no work for him and a day to sleep in for her. And Ray definitely thought Debra deserved a day to sleep in. Especially due to the current circumstances. Not just the baby...Ray meant everything. 

 

He kissed her again, before shutting his eyes in an attempt to force himself to sleep, sensing a long day ahead. Finally -- uneasily -- he drifted off.

 

"Ray," Raymond heard a voice hiss -- a voice that he didn't want in his bedroom, at all, let alone when his wife was sleeping naked in his arms -- and he slowly opened his eyes, praying it was a nightmare. "Ray, get up."

 

"Go away," he told nightmare-Robert, screwing his eyes shut as he did. "Deb an' I are sleeping."

 

"Do you think I would be in here if it wasn't an emergency?," Dream-Robert asked, voice sounding dangerously like it was real and not a figment of his imagination. "Wake up or I'll pull your covers off."

 

"Don't," Ray said, rather murderously, propping himself up while trying not to expose or disturb Debra at the same time. "Don't you dare touch them. What the hell do you want? It's..." Okay, so it was 9:30. He guessed it wasn't that unreasonable an hour. "We were alone."

 

"Dad woke up," he told me, straightening his shirt as he did. "Ma said to tell you."

 

"That's not an emergency," he insisted. "That could have waited until we were functioning. I'm going to tell him you're bothering Debra." Beside him, Debra shifted and let out a loud snore.

 

Robert sighed. "He's awake," he continued. "Ray, you really should wake Debra up," he sighed.

 

"Why?," he demanded. "So you can have a repeat of yesterday in the ER?'

 

He shook his head. "No," he insisted. "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I was just...seeing her...Amy should...I'm sorry."

 

"If I wake her up...," he started. "Is this a conversation that would be best dealt with clothed?"

 

"Well, you're in your pajamas, I'm sure that...," Robert trailed off as the implications of what he meant hit him. "Wake her up. I'll see you all downstairs."

 

Ray smirked as he beat a hasty path out the door, just as Debra sat up beside him, rubbing her eyes. "Good morning," she yawned, letting the blankets pool on her lap. "That was a very good night last night, honey."

 

"You thought so?," he asked, curling his arm around her. "I would say I'm up for another but Robert says he has to talk to us. I need to preserve your innocence."

 

"Oh, so that wasn't a dream," she mused. "Let's go see what he has to say."

 

Ray moaned. "What if I don't wanna?," he asked, pouting.

 

"Ray, come on, let's get it over with," she whispered. "I'm sure it's not that bad." he groaned. "Besides, I'm hungry."

 

"You're always hungry now," he told her, shooting her a fond look as he did.

 

"It will be okay," she told me, slipping on her pajamas and robe as she did, throwing him his shirt. "Whatever happens, honey..."

 

"What do you mean, whatever happens?," Ray fretted.

 

"Nothing, Ray, I just think...I just think that...forget it."

 

He shook his head. "Forget what?," he demanded.

 

"Just forget it, Ray, I was just thinking out loud," Debra told him, brushing furiously through her hair. "Can we just go downstairs?"

 

Ray sighed, knowing defeat when it hit him in the face. He nodded hesitantly, eyes locked on the ground. "Yeah, alright," he agreed, reaching out for her hand, managing to lock his fingers around her wrist. "Didn't mean to upset you."

 

"You didn't," came the reply. "I'm not upset because of you."

 

"Was it my brother?," he asked, as she headed out of the bedroom, taking him with her. "Did he upset you, Deb? Was it him coming into the room?"

 

"No!," she insisted. "It's got nothing to do with him."

 

***

 

"Why are you here?," Ally asked Robert, and he jumped with a start, his only niece interrupting his brooding time. "You haven't come over in months, did we do something?"

 

He shook my head. "You didn't do anything," he promised her. "It's just been a bad time."

 

"But why are you here now?," she wondered, eying me with suspicion. "And why did you go wake Mom and Dad up? I told the twins they couldn't do that, now they think it's okay. Did something happen?"

 

He let out a sigh. "I have to talk to your parents," he explained, hoping to avoid actually answering the question.

 

"I'm not stupid," Ally told him, crossing her arms. "I wasn't born yesterday. Tell me what's going on."

 

"Nothing!," Robert exploded. "Nothing is going on, Alexandra! I just need to talk to your parents!"

 

"Robert!," Debra shouted from a distance, as Robert became quite interested in the table.  "Don't you dare talk to my daughter like that. What is wrong with you?"

 

"She won't stop asking me questions," he whispered.

 

"Ally, sit down," his sister-in-law commanded, before fixing him with a glare he had never seen before, in all his years of having Marie as a mother and being a cop. "Ally can ask you whatever she wants to ask you, Robert," she said, in a sickly-sweet tone. "I get being upset at Ray and me but what did the kids ever do to you? They asked about you for months, Robert! I would have left the house while you were here if it bothered you that badly. They could have gone over across the street."

 

"So, what is it, Robert?," Debra demanded. "Look at me when I speak to you."

 

Robert hesitantly met her eyes, noticing the appearance of Ray beside her. "I'm sorry, okay?"

 

"I don't care," she said. "You're freaking the kids out and you are torturing Ray."

 

"Maybe we could have coff--"

 

"Just answer her question!," Ray exclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table. "Tell me what's wrong with our father! No coffee, no nothing! Answer Debra's damn question!"

 

He cleared his throat. "Dad's not well -- "

 

"I know that! You know how I knew? Yesterday's little disaster in the hospital, Robert!"

 

"I'm trying to explain, Raymond --"

 

"Bullshit!," Ray thundered. "You can just spit it out, I don't want your explaining!"


	6. "I'm Fine" -- another lie by Ray Barone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray found his voice. "Dad said no!," he exclaimed, still struggling for breath. "He said no tests, Robert. Just drive me to the Lodge, Ray, everything will be fine." His voice wavered at that. "And I did what he said to and I still screwed up."
> 
> "You didn't," Debra whispered to him, taking his hand in hers. "You did exactly what you were supposed to do," she soothed, twisting slightly so she could look him in the eyes. "This isn't your fault, Ray. You didn't screw up, I promise."
> 
> Robert watched as his baby brother -- his cubby -- visibly deflated, practically leaning into Debra, who continued to make soothing clucks as Ray's breathing steadied, and his coloring returned to normal. He very much felt like he was intruding on something private between the two, as if they were in their own world.

"Can you let your brother speak?," Debra asked Raymond tiredly, leading him to the chair beside Ally. "Please, Ray," she begged, splaying her fingers across her growing belly as she did, as the shouting had woken the baby up. "I'm tired and I don't like the shouting."

"Fine," he muttered, sitting in the chair, not at all amused by the situation. "Go ahead," he told Robert, casting a worried gaze at his pregnant wife, relieved when she sat down, even if the increased weight on his lap was somewhat of a shocker. "You heard Debra, tell us."

"I'm sorry," Robert mumbled. "I shouldn't have yelled at Ally...Debra's right, I should have done better. It's just...we really wanted that baby," he told them, not caring that Geoffrey and Michael had joined them in the room, drawn like moths to a flame by Ray's ranting. "It's hard being around the two of you."

Debra nudged him, pointedly, and he drew in a deep breath. "It's alright," he said. "It's not really alright, but it will be soon."

"You mean it?," Robert asked, eyes wide. "Really, Ray?"

"Yeah," he said. "I really am sorry about your baby, Robert," Ray told him, making a conscious effort not to touch Debra's abdomen as he spoke. "And I know you meant what you said just now. I shouldn't have shouted like I did, I'm just worried about Dad." He exhaled loudly.

Robert sighed, clearing his throat. "Ah, yes," he said. "Dad. The man of the hour. Dad." He cleared his throat again. "They think he has cancer."

The temperature in the room dropped about thirty degrees. Robert became very interested in Ray and Debra's sugar bowl, and the PC Richard's circular that had been delivered with the morning's paper. Raymond had taken an unfortunately timed sip of coffee and had started to choke. 

The silence was palpable. No one knew what to say.

"So there's a chance it might not be cancer?," Debra asked, while Ray struggled to remember basic things such as how to breathe, and how to not faint with your pregnant wife on your lap. 

"They say it's highly unlikely," he admitted, toying with a rubber band that had been laying on the table. "They want to run more tests, they --"

Ray found his voice. "Dad said no!," he exclaimed, still struggling for breath. "He said no tests, Robert. Just drive me to the Lodge, Ray, everything will be fine." His voice wavered at that. "And I did what he said to and I still screwed up."

"You didn't," Debra whispered to him, taking his hand in hers. "You did exactly what you were supposed to do," she soothed, twisting slightly so she could look him in the eyes. "This isn't your fault, Ray. You didn't screw up, I promise."

Robert watched as his baby brother -- his cubby -- visibly deflated, practically leaning into Debra, who continued to make soothing clucks as Ray's breathing steadied, and his coloring returned to normal. He very much felt like he was intruding on something private between the two, as if they were in their own world. 

And then Ray looked at him -- really looked at Robert, with a look that was very much the look of a younger brother seeking a job well done -- and he found himself nodding. 

"Ray, what good would have going against Dad done?," Robert asked him, treading carefully. "He may have gotten angry and abandoned the bit of sense he had. Imagine if he was driving when this happened?" He shuddered. "Yes, maybe this would have been discovered sooner, but..." He trailed off, not wanting to voice his suspicions that their father's cancer was unbeatable.

"But, what, Robert?," Debra asked softly, eying him with worried eyes. "What is it?"

He cleared his throat. Roughly. "What if he doesn't get better?," he asked, brokenly. "What if..."

"Robert, it's Dad," Ray told him. "He'll get better."

"You don't know that," he protested. "You just want me to feel better."

 

***

 

"...and you'll hold my hand the entire time?," Ray asked Debra softly, for the umpteenth time, as he parked the car in the hospital's parking garage, already feeling like he was going to be ill. "You promise, you won't leave?"

"Ray, what if I have to go to the bathroom?," she asked, eying him worried. "Yes, I'll hold your hand."

"I'll go with you," he told her, causing a gagging sound to emit from Michael, who was sitting in the back with Ally and Geoffrey. "Stop that!," he commanded. "I'm your father!"

Debra stared up at him, shaking her head. "Ray, I can see why he thinks that's gross," she sighed. "Look, honey, we will go in and see your father and then we will go home. I promise that you will survive." She wasn't sure that she would, but that was another story. Ray had gotten so clingy lately. "I don't see why you didn't take Robert's offer up to take the kids with him, if you knew you were going to react this way."

He let out a sigh. "He's my dad," he mumbled, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Deb, he's my dad. He's my dad."

"Is Daddy crying?," Ally asked, as Ray snuffled loudly, burying his head against the crook of Debra's neck. "Daddy? Are you okay?"

"Ray...," Debra soothed, feeling the warmth of his tears against her skin as he quietly sobbed. "I know he is, I know. It will be alright, Ray. I'll hold your hand the whole time, you can go to the bathroom with me, I promise, it will be okay. I'll do whatever it takes to make this okay for you."

He sniffled loudly in response. 

"I can take the kids in, alone?," she offered, rubbing his back as she did. He wordlessly shook his head. "You sure? I don't mind, honey..."

"I'm fine," he insisted, drawing in a shuddering breath. "I'm fine."

"But you're crying," Ally insisted, leaning over the top of his seat. "That's not fine, Dad."

"It's fine, Ally," Debra interjected. "Your father is just upset about what happened."

 

***

 

Frank let out a rather impressive snore, blissfully oblivious to the scene that was currently set in his hospital room. Ray couldn't help but envy the family patriarch, who was both the center of attention and not, at the same time. He sighed. 

"What, Ray?," Debra asked softly, squeezing his hand. "You okay?"

"Why are they here?," he asked her, gesturing to the MacDougall parents, who were in silent prayer in the corner of the room. "You didn't call your parents, did you?"

"No," she assured him. "I think they are here because they want to support Amy," she said after a moment of thought, worrying her lower lip as she did. "You know, it's almost nice, in a way."

"In what way?," he asked. "It's creepy. It's like they think Dad's gonna croak."

He again regretted his decision to stay behind to watch over his father while Robert had dragged Marie and the others out to lunch. It wasn't like he would be able to eat anything -- his stomach churned in protest at the thought -- but at least he and Debra wouldn't be sitting here in a hospital room, essentially afraid to move. But at least Debra was with him. She made him feel somewhat better.

"Is the munchkin up?," he asked hopefully, desperate for something to take his mind off the situation. "Will she kick for me?"

"You can wake her up," Debra offered. "She'll kick for you if you're patient, honey."

"Why's she sleeping?," he asked, excitement dimming slightly. "I don't want to bother her. Or you."

"She's bored," was the reply, and Debra sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "It won't bother me," she promised. "I was thinking of seeing if she would wake your father up," she admitted, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But I'm sure she'd rather play with you."

"Yeah?," Ray asked, feeling a grin tugging at his lips. "'Cause she knows who I am, right?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "She loves her daddy."

"And her daddy loves her," he murmured, laying himself out across both the chairs so Debra could curl up on him. "'m glad she happened, Deb," he continued, carefully rubbing her belly. "The best surprise ever."

"Really?," she whispered, shifting so she was comfortable. "You mean that, Ray?"

"Yeah. You know I always wanted more kids," he said honestly, tracing patterns on her abdomen with his fingertips. "You know...but you weren't sure and I respected that. It was always your decision, because you're the one carrying the babies and doing all the work and I'm just their daddy."

"You're not 'just their daddy, Ray'," she told him. "You're more than that."

"Aw, Deb, you're just saying that," he murmured, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Thanks, though, lil Mama."

Frank snored on, as Debra smiled up at him, a light flush covering her cheeks. "I like that one," she told him. "You're being so sweet. But I mean it, you're not 'just their daddy', or 'just my husband' or whatever you think you are. You're so much more than 'just' anything."

Frank's snore turned into more of a snort, but neither the younger Barones or the elder MacDougalls noticed at first. 

"Thanks, Deb," Ray said quietly, though in a slightly happier tone than before. "Does she like this?" He'd inched up the material of her shirt a bit to rest his hand against her bare skin. 

Debra hummed contentedly, pressing his hand firmly against her skin, feeling the baby shift underneath them. "Think so," she told him. "It's gotten her attention, anyways."

"What about me?," a cantankerous voice, sounding much hoarser than usual, demanded, drawing the foursome's attention to the hospital bed. "What do I have to do to get your attention?"

"Dad?," Ray breathed, peering at the hospital bed from over Debra's head. "You've gotten our attention," he informed him, not at all amused at being made a pawn in Frank Barone's latest attempt to evade proper adulting. "Everyone's attention. The guys at the lodge, Ma, the entirety of our family, even Pat and Hank came down because they are worried about you." 

"Hey!," Frank protested. "Don't yell at me! I'm sick, didn't your mother tell you?"

"Yeah, I have clued into that, Dad," he snapped. "Did you even think that I would have appreciated you giving me a reason that I was bringing you places? I thought I was doing the right thing! And now...now..."

"Ray," Debra cautioned, trying to get him to calm down. "Ray, sweetheart, don't shout so much."

"Yeah, sweetheart," Frank agreed, attempting to innocently smile. "Don't shout too much at your poor old man."

"Frank!," Debra exclaimed. "Is that really necessary?"

"Hey, he's the one actin' like a pansy --"

"Enough!," Debra exclaimed, climbing off of Ray's lap and standing in front of Frank, crossing her arms in irritation. "Frank, I get that you're upset because your attempt at manipulating Ray didn't work out with your illness ever being discovered. I get that you think that this is some big inconvenience for you but how do you think Raymond would have felt had you died because you played him? And then you make fun of him for being upset!"

"That's not the only reason why he's a nancy," Frank informed her. "What was with that whole mushy act that was playing out when you interrupted my nap?"

"That's not an act, Dad," Ray told him. "I'm excited about the baby!"

"And that proves my point!," his father exclaimed, gesturing to him. "Act like a damn man. It's the woman's job to be excited about the baby, not yours!"

 

***

 

Amy noticed that her parents looked vaguely ill as they emerged from Frank's private room, and she winced as she heard the arguing that was taking place. Hank and Pat weren't big fans of conflict -- or Robert's family -- and she couldn't blame them for the shellshocked look on their faces. 

"What are they fighting about?," she asked warily, handing her mother a cup of tea from the cafe. "I don't understand, I thought they all went to lunch?"

Pat sighed. "They were going to, dear," she told her. "But Marie wouldn't leave unless someone who was a 'real family member' stayed with Frank, so Raymond and Debra volunteered." She took a sip of her tea. "I just don't understand why Frank feels there is something wrong with what they were doing."

Beside her, Hank sighed. "Mother, Frank is the problem," he pointed out. "And I highly doubt Amy wants to hear about this, given her situation. It's not appropriate."

"Ray is happy about the baby and Frank is making fun of him for it," Amy surmised. "It's fine, Dad. I know that they didn't get pregnant to hurt me. Right now that's not important, anyways. What's important is that Frank works on getting healthy."

"He was quite rude," Pat sighed. "It was quite unpleasant."

Amy was about to respond when Debra bolted out of the room, tears streaming down her face. "I should go after her," she told her parents. "She's my best friend."


	7. Needed Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yes," she agreed. "Sick in the body and sick in the head. Who even knows where Raymond and Debra went?," she asked the room at large, which currently only consisted of her, Frank, and Robert, who was nervously holding on to his service weapon. "You'll have to report them missing!," she informed her older child, eyes wide. "Oh, God, we're in Queens. Raymond could have been kidnapped!"

"Here," Amy said to Debra softly, sinking down on the floor beside her, and she handed her a tissue. "Do you want to talk about it?," she hedged, placing a hand on her shoulder.

 

Debra shook her head, pointlessly dabbing at her eyes. "You don't have to sit with me," she told Amy in a choked tone, lip quivering as she did. "I know you're sad when you're around me now. I understand."

 

"I wouldn't have followed you if I didn't want to be with you," she promised, looping her arm around the smaller woman. "Did Ray say something stupid?"

 

Debra shook her head, taking the second tissue from her and balling it in her fist. "Ray wouldn't make me cry," she said after a moment, drawing a shuddering breath. "Frank hurt my feelings when he was making fun of him. Why did Frank have to make any comment at all?," she continued, daring to look at Amy, eyes still filled with tears. "Ray's been so excited...and so into everything to do with, well, you know, this. And then Frank has to be such an ass. I know he's sick, but he was still an ass." 

 

"Take a deep breath," Amy instructed her, rubbing her back as she did. "You have to stay calm, for the baby."

 

"Ray and I stayed behind because Marie hasn't left the hospital room since Frank was admitted and it was the only way she would go to lunch," Debra recounted, calming slightly. "Plus Ray doesn't want to be here at all and I didn't want to have him freaking out in front of her. You know how she can be. He would have felt horrible. And your parents were there and we were trying to be quiet so we didn't disturb their praying but we got to talking and I guess Frank was pretending to be asleep," she sighed. "Ray was saying all these romantic things to me and he was interacting with the baby and Frank made fun of him for it."

 

"You know that won't stop Ray from doing that, right?," she assured her. "Nothing could stop Ray from loving you, or loving the baby. I know how much he cares about you, Deb. Everyone does." Amy let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry about the past few weeks," she told her. 

 

"It's alright," she promised. "I wish things had worked out for you and Robert. I feel really bad." 

 

"I know you do," she said, giving her a hug. "It will happen eventually," she sighed. "Did you say Ray was interacting with the baby?"

 

Debra nodded. "Yeah, he woke her up," she told her. "Did you want to feel? She's pretty active now, you'll be able to."

 

"Sure," Amy told her, taking her hand and placing it on Debra's abdomen, letting her reposition it where the baby was. "She's kicking," she breathed, in awe. "Wow, Deb."

 

"That's because she likes you," a male voice interjected, and they both looked up to see Ray standing there, brow creased with worry. "You okay, sugar plum?" He crouched down so that he was on their level. 

 

"I'm fine, Ray," Debra responded. "Amy made me feel better, I'll be alright. Will you help me up?"

 

Amy was about to interject that she could do so, before Debra shot her a look, gesturing slightly in her husband's direction. Ray looked like he was the happiest man on earth at Debra's request, minus the unfortunate pallor he was sporting. 

 

"Yeah, of course," he insisted. "I'm sorry about my dad," he whispered, carefully helping her stand, not wanting to leave her side. 

 

 

***

 

 

"You did _what_?," Marie demanded of Frank once she'd returned from the lunch, not at all caring that their grandchildren were in the room or that her voice was slightly too loud for the hospital setting. Frank had hurt her Raymond's feelings, and she would not stand for it. "Frank, _why did you say those things?_ "

 

"Aw, come on, Marie," Frank replied. "Ray knows I was kidding."

 

"You made Debra cry!," Marie exclaimed. "You know that she is carrying my grand baby, why would you do that?"

 

"And Ray doesn't know you're kidding," Robert felt the need to interject, heaving a sigh. "Dad, you have got to apologize to Ray and Debra."

 

"Oh, boo hoo hoo," he snarked. "I'm actually sick here and you're all worried about Nancy's feelings."

 

"Stop it, Dad," Robert said firmly. "Don't, okay? Just don't."

 

Marie Barone stared at her husband, a most affronted expression on her face. "This is your fault," she informed Frank, holding up a hand to discourage him from speaking. "You make Raymond an unwitting accomplice to your deceptions and you repay him by landing yourself in the _hospital_ and then you cause further damage by _this little stunt_!" 

 

"I _told you_ to go to the doctor," she ranted. "I _told you to_! And -- "

 

"Don't yell at me!," Frank replied, crossing his arms. "I'm _sick!_ " 

 

"Yes," she agreed. "Sick in the body _and_ sick in the head. Who even knows where Raymond and Debra went?," she asked the room at large, which currently only consisted of her, Frank, and Robert, who was nervously holding on to his service weapon. "You'll have to report them missing!," she informed her older child, eyes wide. "Oh, _God_ , we're in _Queens_. Raymond could have been _kidnapped_!"

 

"Ma, they are in the hospital still," Robert told her, sighing as he did. "No one has gotten kidnapped. And you need to calm down."

 

 

 

***

 

 

 _Great_ , Robert thought to himself. _Kicked out of my father's own hospital room like a child_. For the capital crime of telling his elderly mother that she didn't want to stress herself into a catastrophic cardiac event. To say he was displeased was putting it mildly. 

 

"Where are your parents?," he asked Geoffrey, rather tiredly. "Did they come back?"

 

Geoffrey nodded, giving him a hug. "Yeah, Daddy bought Mommy an ice cream," he told him. "They're over there."

 

He let his nephew return to where Hank and Pat were reading the children a story, and he steeled himself, holstering his weapon and approaching the not at all missing Ray and Debra. 

 

"Ma thinks you've been kidnapped," he informed Ray, sitting on the chair opposite them. "When I told her she needed to calm down she kicked me out of the room. Over 25 years of police experience...," he trailed off, darkly. 

 

Debra lazily licked her ice cream cone. "I'm sorry, Robert," she said, once she'd swallowed the vanilla goodness. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

 

Ray groaned. "You didn't cause trouble," he whispered. " _They_ cause trouble. They always do." He leaned forward in his seat. "Tell her I went missing," he said. "I don't care anymore."

 

"I was tempted to," he sighed. "But the fact that I'm a cop means I would have to drop everything to find the non-missing Raymond." Robert rolled his eyes. "And you weren't causing trouble, Deb," he informed her. "Ray is right."

 

Another lick of the cone. She smiled, though whether it was intended for him, or Ray, he wasn't really sure. Smiling was better than tears, no matter the cause. 

 

"We were thinking you could come over," Debra told him, in between bites. "You and Amy, Pat and Hank, we could have dinner or something."

 

"Tonight?," Robert asked, touched. "You feel up to it?"

 

"We're ordering takeout," she told him, patting her bump as she did. "You're sweet to worry, though." She smiled widely. "What did you tell me about dinner tonight?," she queried, directing her question at Ray.

 

His little brother shifted closer to her, almost on a subconscious level, tucking a leg underneath him in the process. He watched Ray steal a bite of the cone, kissing Debra on the lips after, his hand ghosting down her side 'til it settled on her abdomen, where it joined hers, and he watched Ray sag slightly, clearly relieved. It was a moment so intimate that Robert almost felt he shouldn't be privy to it. And yet he was, and it was clear by his cubby's actions that this was _habit_ for Ray. He wondered when he had gotten so wrapped into himself that he'd missed it.

 

"She could pick the takeout but other than that she was sitting on the couch and not lifting a finger," Ray told him. 


	8. 'bonding opportunity'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I know, I'm not the best at expressing my feelings, but...you know I love you, right?"

" _Stop it, Ray_ ," Debra tried to insist, and she batted his hands away, though her giggles betrayed her feelings on the subject. "Ray, really? Around all these people?" She gestured to their living room, which was filled with their children, Robert and Amy, and Robert's in-laws, a group which (unfortunately for Debra's sanity) included Peggy and her daughter. Now, _she_ wouldn't have brought them to this bizarre attempt at family bonding, but Amy's family had always been a little _bizarre_. That didn't change the fact that Ray's hands were going places that they shouldn't have been going in the current climate of mixed company.

 

"I can't help it," her husband replied, his voice muffled due to his position of his face in regards to her hair. "They're getting bigger, you liked when I noticed last night."

 

"It's not that I don't _like_ it, Ray," she said, sighing quietly. "It's more that I like it _too much_. And for God's sake, _Peter_ is here. Do you want him getting a peek at our _private lives_?"

 

Immediately, Ray's hand moved from where it had been brushing against her rather sensitive breasts, and he settled it to a more appropriate position, by resting it on her hip. 

 

"No," he muttered. "I don't want that." He sighed. "Can you please explain to me how dinner with Robert and Amy turned into this _disaster of impending doom_?"

 

"You don't have to talk to Peggy," Debra told him. "Just...act like a human being, and once they leave..." She trailed off, shooting him a suggestive look, purposely grinding against him, a smirk coming to her face.

 

She _knew_ he liked that. The look on his face and the tightening fabric of his jeans simply confirmed her previous knowledge. "No, Deb," he said, in a low tone. "Deb, don't _tease_."

 

"I'm not teasing," she promised. "I wouldn't tease about that." She gave him a kiss on the lips. "Be a good boy and you'll get a reward."

 

Ray sighed, though he did brighten slightly at the thought of a reward. Debra smirked, lacing her fingers though his. "I guess I'll behave," he told her. His hand went to her abdomen, smoothing her shirt down over her bump. "'s she being good?," he fretted, "she's gettin' bigger too."

 

"She's fine," Debra assured him, the baby kicking, seemingly in agreement. "Feel, Ray," she insisted. Ray beamed brightly, his eyes filled with joy. Their daughter kicked, quite hard. "You feel that, honey?," Debra asked, leaning into his touch. "She's sayin' hi."

 

 

***

 

 

"Was the bullhorn _really_ needed, Ray?" Debra asked him, in a droll tone of voice, settling herself down in the space that was in between him and the corner of the couch. "I think they found that touch a bit off-putting." He opened his mouth to apologize, when she smiled shyly at him, tucking herself as close to him as possible. "Thanks, honey," she murmured. "They were irritating me."

 

"You mean you didn't want to watch the _Passion of the Christ_ as a 'bonding opportunity'?" Ray mocked, reaching his arm around her shoulders. "With our children and Molly? That didn't appeal to you?"

 

"It appealed to me almost as much as dressing up as comic book characters with Peggy and Peter would," she sighed, shaking her head. "As in: not at all."

 

"You'd be a sexy comic book character, though," he teased, pouting at her as he rested his hands on her bump. "You'd be Super Sexy." He nuzzled her hair, pleased by her proximity to him. "You _are_ Super Sexy." 

 

"Ray!" She chided, a light blush coming to her face. "Stop that." She leaned into his touch, their baby responding quite eagerly to his presence. "You really think I'm sexy?" Her tone was quiet.

 

"You're the sexiest girl I know," he told her, looking her in the eyes. "Deb, I..." He leaned over and kissed her softly, an action that she eagerly returned. "You're beautiful."

 

"Even now?" She asked, gaze dropping to her lap. 

 

"Yeah," he said, earnest grin on his lips. "I know, I'm not the best at expressing my feelings, but...you know I love you, right?"

 

A slight smile twitched at her lips. She directed her gaze at him, cheeks reddening even further. "Yeah," she agreed. "I know. I love you too."


	9. Brothers Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've always been my brother.

They sat there in silence for a moment, Debra content to simply lean her head on Ray's chest, listening to his heartbeat and the sound of him breathing.

  
  
"It will be okay," she told him, rubbing her hands across his biceps. "Your dad's tough. He fought in Korea." She hummed wordlessly as he tightened his hold on her, her growing abdomen pressing against his side. "And I'm sorry he yelled at you," she added. "I know I call you an idiot sometimes, but you're not, Ray. I just get frustrated because my life is frustrating. But he shouldn't have yelled at you and I know that you care about the kids and me." She let out a sigh.

  
Debra had long since given up on ever having a peaceful day without drama, but she had continued to have hope that her ideal goal might some day be attained, no matter how utterly impossible it seemed. And, yet, there went Ray's family, trampling any progress every day made towards being vaguely sanity inducing, yet again. But she did love Ray. And she knew how much he cared about her and their family.  


"I know," he replied, pulling her even closer, so she was half on his lap. "I'm really trying, Deb."  


"I know," she promised, smiling wistfully at him. "'s alright, Ray. You can't fix everything." She eased herself entirely on to Ray's lap, tugging the afghan that was beside him over them, unbuttoning her skirt so she could be slightly more comfortable. "I always appreciate your efforts," she promised, smiling up at him.  


She felt him press a kiss in her hair. "...just wanted to make things right for you, especially now."  


"I know," she soothed, reaching up to stroke the side of his face. "I know, baby."

  
"We're okay, right?" Ray asked, abruptly, gaze serious. "You and I...we're okay, right?" She nodded, somewhat surprised at the question.

  
"Yeah," she answered, linking his fingers through hers. "We're fine. I promise."

  
And she really, truly, meant that.

  
  
"Can we stay like this for awhile?" He asked, in a quiet tone. She nodded.

 

  
"We can watch a movie?" She suggested, hopefully. "I'd really like that."  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
The doorbell rang, and Ray winced, relieved when Debra simply let out a loud snore and burrowed deeper into the nest of blankets that he had cocooned her in once she had requested they watch a movie together and then -- halfway through the first half hour of it -- fallen soundly asleep, using his lap as a pillow. He carefully replaced himself with a throw pillow and reluctantly answered the door, surprised to see Robert standing there, looking his typical combination of distressed and hopeful.  


"What?" Ray asked, trying to remain quiet. Debra needed her rest, she was pregnant, after all. "Is something the matter?"  


"I didn't mean to bother you," his brother insisted, the hopeful look replaced with a guilty countenance. "I'm sorry -- I'll just go."  


He bit back a sigh. Debra would be so mad if he told her that Robert had came by and he had been rude to him, whether she was sleeping or not. Somehow she always knew when he did things like that. Plus, he had to admit that he missed spending time with Robert, if only to himself.

  
"No, it's fine," he said. "I need to watch the game for work, but you can come in."

  
"But, Deb--"

  
"It's okay," he insisted. "She's sleeping, yeah, but it's alright. I promise." Robert was his brother, and all stubbornness aside, Ray had really missed him over the last couple months. As if to prove his point, his wife let out a sleep-filled sigh, hugging the throw pillow contentedly. Her snoring resumed, though quieter than before. "She could sleep through the dead." His lips twisted up into a fond smile as he watched her sleep, before beckoning Robert into the house. "What's going on, man?" He asked. "I thought Amy's parents were spending the night?"  


"They're driving me insane!" Robert informed him, in a hiss. "All these comments and questions and I don't know the answers to them and asking why why why," he rambled. "They're making me feel defective," he groused. "I wish I knew why things worked out for you and Debra and haven't worked out for Amy and me, but I don't. I don't know what I did, but they are definitely blaming me."  


Ray really wasn't great with emotional comfort, but he sensed he would need to apply his limited knowledge in this regard. "You know that's not true, right?" He asked him gently, touching his arm. "Deb...Deb says that sometimes those things happen, and that it's not anyone's fault and no one is to blame. And Pat and Hank, they shouldn't be harpin' on this with Dad in the hospital." He sighed. "I shouldn't have let this cause a rift between us," he admitted, shifting slightly on the couch. "But...look, there's no excuse."  


Ray had a million excuses for what had happened, and none of them really made enough sense on their own, but together they had come to make convolutedly perfect sense. And wasn't that really a summary of their lives, when it came down to it? It was sad, but true.  


"I want to apologize," he told Robert, looking him dead in the eye as he sat on the couch beside them. "I really am sorry."  


"I'm sorry, too," Robert said. "I hope that we can be brothers again."

  
Ray nodded. "Of course," he said. "You've always been my brother. No matter how mad we get at each other."


	10. Hestor, Anew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And why are you watching this?" Debra demanded. "Can't you defend yourself?"

Robert had continued to brood long after Raymond's head had drooped, nestled against Debra's shoulder as he snored away, the movie long since ended. Not that he was focusing on the television, not at all. No, the MacDougalls had really put him in quite the funk with their hints and rather pointed jabs. It wasn't really his fault that Amy had had that miscarriage, was it? They certainly thought it was.   
  
"Are you watching COPS?" The sleep-filled voice of his sister-in-law asked, questioningly, peering blearily in his direction, chin nestled in his brother's hair. "Why are you watching that?"   
  
"It's just background noise," he said honestly. "I don't...I can't...I just need a break."   
  
"'s alright, Robert, really," she replied, sitting up slightly so Ray could settle his head under her arm. "You don't have to explain, you can hang out here."  
  
"Is it my fault?" He asked, trusting her to be honest. "Did I cause it?" She had always been honest with him -- sometimes brutally so -- and Robert trusted her. "Pat and Hank..." He trailed off, unable to get the words out. "Deb, did I cause it???" He felt his eyes fill with tears, and he choked back a sob, relieved when Ray slept soundly on, despite Debra sitting up fully, dropping his head to her lap.   
  
"You didn't cause anything," she said, after he watched her open and close her mouth for a few moments. "Sometimes those things just happen, and there is no cause. It's natural to blame yourself, but those things just happen. And -- and -- Pat and Hank shouldn't be saying those things about you, because it's not true. You are a good person and I know how much you loved that baby, Robert."   
  
He shook his head. "What if it is me, though?" He asked. "Joanne and I never had children," he said. "And, Amy and I have had sex since her doctor said it was safe! What if I'm defective?"  
  
A box of tissues was pressed into his hand, and he dabbed at his eyes, vision clearing to see that Debra -- clearly pregnant Debra -- had switched places with Ray, her sweater doing nothing to hide the evidence of her pregnancy, the blanket that had been hiding it abandoned.  
  
"Robert, let's be real," Debra said, once he had regulated his breathing and forced himself to look only at her face and not at her abdomen. "I get that you and Amy have been trying, but these things take time, you know that. And I know that it has probably felt like ages, but it's really been not even two months."   
  
"And what if I am?" He asked.  
  
"There are things you and Amy can do," she said. "If that's the case. Alright?"  
  
She squeezed his hand. He nodded, though hesitantly.   
  
  
***  
  
  
"I don't understand why you came over here to spend time with them!" Debra heard Hank MacDougall say in what was -- at least in her opinion -- an excessively loud tone. "What about the prayer session we wanted to do with you and Amy to fix you?" She groaned inwardly, more than a bit annoyed at the fact that her nap with Ray had been interrupted again. Debra really hadn't minded talking with Robert, but didn't the MacDougalls see that she and Ray were sleeping? "And you disappear on us and you are watching mindless reality TV?"  
  
"Shut up," she heard a voice say, realizing belatedly that it was her own, and she forced herself to lift herself off of Ray, fixating Mr. MacDougall with an exhausted glare. Mrs. MacDougall had the decency to look sheepish. Robert was just staring ahead at the television, expression stony. "Leave Robert alone."  
  
"Did you just tell me to shut up?" The older man said, crossing his arms. "How dare you? I am entitled to my beliefs, he is my son-in-law."  
  
"Yeah, I did," Debra said, climbing up off of the couch (Ray let out a moan in protest at her absence). "You may be entitled to your beliefs, but this is my house, and I don't like how you're speaking to him. Robert has been nothing but patient and kind and made attempt after attempt to get you and Mrs. MacDougall to like him, Hank, and you treat him terribly."  
  
Pat looked vaguely guilty at that statement. Hank opened his mouth to speak, but Debra continued her diatribe. "And I think it says a lot that given Robert's family he knows you treat him terribly," she said, shaking her head. "Considering how his parents are."   
  
"Robert doesn't need you two and Peter blaming him for what was an act of God," she added, flatly. "I thought that God created us how He felt best, isn't that what you believe? So why the Hell are you in here complaining because he walked out on a prayer session you claim will fix him?"  
  
"I--"  
  
"I'm not done speaking, Hank," she informed him, starting to pace the length of the couch. "I don't understand the two of you," she told the couple, trying to remain somewhat calm, despite aggravation and raging hormones filling her. "You claim to love Amy and want her to be happy and then you belittle her husband and make him feel terrible while letting Peter do whatever he wants to do. Is that because Peter's the guy? And I understand that you two are upset because Amy lost her baby, I get it. But stop blaming Robert for it!"  
  
"And for that matter, stop coming into innocent people's houses and waking them up," she hissed. "Don't you think that Ray and I deserve a break?"  
  
"Debra," Mrs. MacDougall said, after several minutes of uncomfortable silence. "It's not our fault that Robert was over here," she said, in what Debra was sure had been meant to be a soothing tone, if she wasn't as stupid as to be completely manipulated by it. "And we didn't mean to disturb you and Raymond."  
  
"But you meant to upset and humiliate Robert," she said in reply, a facsimile of a sweet smile on her lips. "We were just collateral damage."  
  
Robert hadn't said a thing in response to either the MacDougalls or her, and in fact hadn't moved from the couch, gaze locked on the television, where a familiar bull chase was playing.  
  
"And why are you watching this?" Debra demanded. "Can't you defend yourself?"  
  
Robert shrugged. "Couldn't defend myself against him, either," he muttered. "It's fitting, really."  
  
  
***  
  
  
"What happened?" Ray asked Debra, crossing the room to her as she moodily washed the dishes, slamming their pots and pans rather loudly. "Was it my mother? I can speak to her, if it was," he told her. "Where's Robert?"  
  
Oh, boy, he realized belatedly, taking in the expression on his wife's face, he was definitely in for it now. "I'm sorry!" He insisted. "Deb, what did they do? Why do you look like you're going to eat me???"  
  
Debra took a break from glaring at him to resume attacking the sauce pan in front of her with a Brillo pad with an impressive amount of force.   
  
"I sent him home," she said after a moment. "Hank and Pat came by and got into it with me and I sent them all home."   
  
"What do you mean, got into it with you?" He asked, confused, pouring himself a cup of coffee as he waited for Debra to return to a less frightening state. "Why were they fighting with you? What did you do?"   
  
His lovely not at all terrifying wife shut off the sink and dried her hands, joining him at their kitchen table. That vein in Debra's head with throbbing -- the Marie Barone vein -- and he dreaded to know the reasoning behind it, if it didn't involve his mother. Oh boy, he thought again.   
  
"I told them that I didn't appreciate them coming into my home and castigating your brother for essentially having feelings," she told him. Ray wasn't a brain surgeon, but he suspected there was more to that story. "I guess he came over because they wanted to have a prayer session about how wrong he is," she added, rolling her eyes. "And he just let them say those horrible things to him!"  
  
"So you kicked him out?" Ray asked. She shook her head.   
  
"I didn't kick him out, Ray," she sighed. "I just asked why he didn't defend himself and he walked out the door."  
  
Ray let out a sigh, before beckoning her closer to him. "It's alright," he told her. "You were right to ask that. Come here," he encouraged, waggling his eyebrows at her hopefully. She smirked, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. "You were all over me earlier," he recalled fondly. "You still up for that?"  
  
"Seriously?" She asked. He nodded. "Yeah, alright." 


	11. it's such a turn on

Debra gave Ray another kiss, running her hands through his hair, before settling herself on his lap. _God_ , she thought to herself, she _needed_ Ray. Her hormones were incredibly intense with the baby that was on the way, and she was _incredibly_ keyed up after her argument with the MacDougalls. 

 

"Wanna do it here?" Debra asked, whispering lowly in Ray's ear, unsurprised when she felt his erection growing as she swivled her hips against him. "I want to."

 

"Sure, sexy," he said in response, his fingers deftly hooking into the sides of her skirt and tugging, leaving her in just her underwear and sweater. "Want me to help?" 

 

She mewled with pleasure as his hands traveled from her sides to her breasts, her sweater quickly discarded along with his shirt. Debra stood in only her bra and panties, allowing herself to give in to Ray's ministrations. He was _so_ attentive to her. She loved this new side of her husband. Unhooking her bra, she lowered herself to undo Ray's jeans, smirking appreciatively at what she'd achieved with some kissing and the power of suggestion. 

 

" _Someone's_ happy to see me," she teased, running her hand slowly down his shaft. "I'm glad I still do it for you." He let out a soft whimper. "You like this?" She playfully licked the tip of his penis. "I think I'm up to it today."

 

Debra's pregnancy related nausea had mostly abated, and she felt confident that she wouldn't ruin the mood by throwing up all over Ray after deep throating him. 

 

"Babe, you don't have to," Ray protested. "Tonight's about you." He stood up, toeing off his jeans and boxers the rest of the way, tugging her into his embrace. "And you're _always_ gonna do it for me." She flushed lightly at his statement. Well, both at his statement and from the feelings of pleasure that were washing over her at his every touch. 

 

"You always do it for me," she murmured. "Especially now." She was almost embarrassed with how horny she was. "I'm ready."

 

Ray entered her slowly, and she let out a pleasured cry, hooking her legs around his waist. "Faster, Ray," she encouraged, shooting him a smile. She knew that he was going slowly because of the baby, because he didn't want to hurt the two of them, and while she thought that was unbelievably sweet of him, she needed more. 

 

"It's alright."

 

"This is good?" Ray panted, and she managed a nod, her orgasm practically overtaking her. "You'll let me know if it hurts?"

 

"It doesn't," she assured him, before she clutched at the kitchen counter, screaming with pleasure before she felt him release inside of her. She gave him a grateful smile, raising herself slighly to peck him on the cheek. "You okay?" Ray's expression was one that could only be described as 'lustily dazed', and she wanted to make sure that it was more 'lustily' and less 'dazed'. 

 

"You're beautiful," he replied. Debra felt herself blushing a dark red. "How did I get so lucky?"

 

"Thank you, Ray," she whispered. "We're both the lucky ones, don't you think?" She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it lightly before settling them on her bump. "If you're lucky, she might kick."

 

"You think so?" He asked. Debra nodded. 

 

"Yes," she said. "Sometimes she wakes up when we have our fun."

 


End file.
